check in with me.
“Can’t say the men have seen their potatoes look so fancy before.” He
picked up a sliced curl and nudged it around his palm with his thumb.
I reached around Daniel and grabbed the next potato, chopping at it
haphazardly so it fell in ugly, ragged chunks on the wooden table where I
worked.
“That better?”
“I didn’t say the men wouldn’t like it, Charlie.” He put his hand on mine
before I could butcher another potato. His touch on my hand fluttered my
stomach again. “You cut the potatoes any way you like, all right?”
I slipped my hand from underneath his. Maybe being assigned to work with
Daniel was not a good thing. Maybe all this alone time with him would be my
undoing. It was getting too hard to be a boy around him.
Shaking my head, I went back to my fancy cutting. The men would comment,
no doubt, but I’d be ready with a joke or something. I’d laugh it off, and they
would laugh with me. Charlie Hamden would be safe.
He had to be.
****
After supper, some of the crew turned in for the night while another
group took to the top deck. Daniel explained that in deep water Captain Finley
liked to work in shifts so the Rose could sail all day and night, making
good time to our destination. I was told to report directly to the crow’s nest
at first light tomorrow morning where I would keep a sharp eye out for any
hazards in our path.
With the galley tidied, Daniel and I retired to our corner of the lower
deck. I would have loved a bath. No one else was bothered by the grime of a
day’s work, however, so I slumped down to the floor and pulled off my boots.
Stuffy, warm air hovered below deck. A quick glance around revealed that
many of the crewmembers had removed their shirts to cool off during their
slumber. As would be expected, I caught a glimpse of Daniel pulling his tunic
off and balling it up to use as a pillow. He stretched out onto his blanket,
and I failed to catch the giggle in my throat.
Angling his head up, he looked at me. “What’s so funny?”
“Your feet.” I choked back my laughter.
Daniel propped himself up on his arm and stared down the length of his
body to his feet. The blanket beneath him reached to just below the backs of
his knees. The remainder of his legs and rather large feet rested on the bare
wood of the floor.
He laughed. “Being tall is not all fun and games, Charlie. Let’s see what
you got. You aren’t much shorter than me.”
True. I only had to angle my head up slightly to look Daniel in the eye.
I grabbed my sack and placed it under my head as a pillow. Making a production
of settling in, I managed to squeeze another laugh out of Daniel while he
waited for me. Finally, I lay out in one long line.
“Ha! Just as I thought,” Daniel whispered, trying not to rouse the
crewmen around us. “Your blanket only makes it to your ankles. You’re a giant
too. Admit it.” He pointed a finger at me and smiled wide. The gesture made his
entire face beam, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him.
I held up my hands in surrender. “All right. I’m a giant too.”
I’m also a girl.A scene where I told Daniel my secret played in
my mind. I chewed on my bottom lip. What would his response be?
“What are you thinking about, Charlie?” His voice interrupted.
“Huh?”
“Your face looks funny.”
“Thanks.”
“No, no, that’s not what I mean.” Daniel eased back down onto his
blanket. “You look as if something’s bothering you.”
The fact that I’ve been looking at you too much is bothering me.
The fact that I’m a she , not a he, is bothering me.
The fact that apparently my father doesn’t care where I am is bothering
me.
The fact that I’ve left my best friend behind is bothering me.
Take your pick, Daniel.
“No, I’m all right,” I lied instead.
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Well, good night then.”
“Good night.”
“Giant,” he said softly.
I caught the half-smile on
“Can’t say the men have seen their potatoes look so fancy before.” He
picked up a sliced curl and nudged it around his palm with his thumb.
I reached around Daniel and grabbed the next potato, chopping at it
haphazardly so it fell in ugly, ragged chunks on the wooden table where I
worked.
“That better?”
“I didn’t say the men wouldn’t like it, Charlie.” He put his hand on mine
before I could butcher another potato. His touch on my hand fluttered my
stomach again. “You cut the potatoes any way you like, all right?”
I slipped my hand from underneath his. Maybe being assigned to work with
Daniel was not a good thing. Maybe all this alone time with him would be my
undoing. It was getting too hard to be a boy around him.
Shaking my head, I went back to my fancy cutting. The men would comment,
no doubt, but I’d be ready with a joke or something. I’d laugh it off, and they
would laugh with me. Charlie Hamden would be safe.
He had to be.
****
After supper, some of the crew turned in for the night while another
group took to the top deck. Daniel explained that in deep water Captain Finley
liked to work in shifts so the Rose could sail all day and night, making
good time to our destination. I was told to report directly to the crow’s nest
at first light tomorrow morning where I would keep a sharp eye out for any
hazards in our path.
With the galley tidied, Daniel and I retired to our corner of the lower
deck. I would have loved a bath. No one else was bothered by the grime of a
day’s work, however, so I slumped down to the floor and pulled off my boots.
Stuffy, warm air hovered below deck. A quick glance around revealed that
many of the crewmembers had removed their shirts to cool off during their
slumber. As would be expected, I caught a glimpse of Daniel pulling his tunic
off and balling it up to use as a pillow. He stretched out onto his blanket,
and I failed to catch the giggle in my throat.
Angling his head up, he looked at me. “What’s so funny?”
“Your feet.” I choked back my laughter.
Daniel propped himself up on his arm and stared down the length of his
body to his feet. The blanket beneath him reached to just below the backs of
his knees. The remainder of his legs and rather large feet rested on the bare
wood of the floor.
He laughed. “Being tall is not all fun and games, Charlie. Let’s see what
you got. You aren’t much shorter than me.”
True. I only had to angle my head up slightly to look Daniel in the eye.
I grabbed my sack and placed it under my head as a pillow. Making a production
of settling in, I managed to squeeze another laugh out of Daniel while he
waited for me. Finally, I lay out in one long line.
“Ha! Just as I thought,” Daniel whispered, trying not to rouse the
crewmen around us. “Your blanket only makes it to your ankles. You’re a giant
too. Admit it.” He pointed a finger at me and smiled wide. The gesture made his
entire face beam, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him.
I held up my hands in surrender. “All right. I’m a giant too.”
I’m also a girl.A scene where I told Daniel my secret played in
my mind. I chewed on my bottom lip. What would his response be?
“What are you thinking about, Charlie?” His voice interrupted.
“Huh?”
“Your face looks funny.”
“Thanks.”
“No, no, that’s not what I mean.” Daniel eased back down onto his
blanket. “You look as if something’s bothering you.”
The fact that I’ve been looking at you too much is bothering me.
The fact that I’m a she , not a he, is bothering me.
The fact that apparently my father doesn’t care where I am is bothering
me.
The fact that I’ve left my best friend behind is bothering me.
Take your pick, Daniel.
“No, I’m all right,” I lied instead.
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Well, good night then.”
“Good night.”
“Giant,” he said softly.
I caught the half-smile on
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